ADD to Life

Going, Going…Green

These days, “going green” is where it’s at. Companies are quick to boast about their eco-friendly and energy efficient products; architects are designing green buildings; and we all want to be phosphate free, recyclable, refillable, ozone friendly and environmentally safe!

So, hopefully you know by now that green is good for our environment and can (I’m hoping) save us from global warming. But what you may not know is “going green” can save us from being inattentive and easily distracted.

Frances E. Kuo, co-director of the Human-Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and her cohorts Andrea Faber Taylor and William C. Sullivan, conducted many studies about the effect of environments on concentration.

The studies prove that children with ADD function better if they spend time in nature. They show that the greener the environment, the greater the result. Sure, we all know that kids are calmer when they spend more time outdoors. Bike riding, basketball and playing tag can help children to be calmer and more focused. This is the result of exercise not environment. Exercising in “wilderness-like” settings has the greatest effect on the children’s behavior. For example, playing outside in forests calmed the ADD children more than playing in a city park or on paved surfaces.

Dr. Kuo says, “We knew from our own studies and those of other scientists that in general, green is good. For ADHD kids however, green is great.”

Shut Up About…

I met two fabulous women last night at a book signing. Their names are Gina Gallagher and Patricia Konjoian, and they wrote “Shut up About…Your Perfect Kid”

The book is funny – I’ve been laughing out loud all morning! It’s a must read for anyone who has imperfect kids, works with imperfect kids, knows imperfect parents of imperfect kids or were once (and maybe still are) imperfect kids themselves!

You can purchase this book or find more about their stories on the wonderful website: www.shutupaboutyourperfectkid.com. Please tell them Diane sent you!

Wants or Needs

“I want to lose weight!” So many are seeking this goal but not many state their intention in this way. Maybe some feel the need to justify their wants, to make then seem necessary or important. Others may feel guilty for wanting or have resistance from self or others. Whatever the reason, our wants turn into needs. Maybe using this word is a habit but when I hear it in a coaching session, it can be a red flag. I often hear the statement, “I need to lose weight.” I wonder, is this the truth? What makes this a “need?”

The English language is amazing. We have so many words for similar emotions and feelings and each of these words carries a slightly different meaning. The word “want” means to desire whereas “need” means to require.

When I hear the word need my intuition says, “Go deeper.” What lies just beneath the current of this need making it a requirement? I may ask, “When you lose the weight that you need, what will you have?”

Some may say, “A thinner body” or “Smaller clothes.” And when we go even deeper by asking, “When your body is thinner and you’re wearing smaller clothes, what will that give you?” Then we peel away the needs, layer by layer, and emotion starts to surface. They reach the place in themselves where their true desire lives and they are ready to declare their wants.

“I need to lose weight.” turns into, “I want more energy!” or “I want to feel sexy!” or “I want higher self- esteem!” or “I want to find a wonderful partner!” Often the true desire is masked by the requirement of a thinner body.

What do you require to reach your desire?

Let's Move!

OK everybody, let's get moving!

Did you know that exercise is considered a non-medicinal treatment for ADD?

We hear a lot about the other benefits. We know that exercise increases muscle and bone strength, helps you to maintain a healthy weight, lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure, helps elevate depression and boosts your immune system. But we may not know how important "deliberate movement" is to the child and adult with ADD.

According to Dr. Hallowell and Dr. Ratey in their book "Delivered from Distraction:" 

"When a person exercises, she sets in motion a cascade of events that her brain loves.  She sends more blood to her brain.  With more blood comes more oxygen.  Exercise also stimulates the release of a plethora of nutrients, hormones, chemical precursors of neurotransmitters, growth factors, and cleansing agents that bathe the brain in precisely what it needs to function at its best.  We think of exercise as giving our hearts a good workout; but it gives the brain an equally useful dose of nourishment as well as a cleansing bath.

                   Regular exercise acts as an anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety agent.  It also protects against the development of dementia, including Alzheimer’s.  It enhances cognitive function—which is to say it makes you smarter.  In an era of false claims, exercise is one of the true “smart pills” we have.

                   Especially important for those who have ADD, exercise also promotes mental focus, which is to say it is an excellent treatment for ADD.  Regular exercise promotes sustained attention, the ability to stay alert and remain on task.  Regular exercise builds mental endurance and reduces mental fatigue"

You don't have to pump weights or compete in a triathlon; all you have to do is move! Walk down the street for 10 minutes in one direction, turn around and walk back home. You don't need an expensive gym membership or a $500 clothes hanger (this is what home gym equipment becomes for those of us with ADD). Buy yourself a good pair of comfortable walking shoes and move in them!

I live in New England where it is often cold and rainy and other times it is cold and snowy. Then, we have periods when it's "much too hot!" Walking outside in this part of the country does take some courage, but when you make it a habit, it becomes an adventure!

My German Shepherd, Bailey is a die hard walking companion. She doesn't care how cold, hot or wet it is outside and she doesn't have much patience waiting for her humans to dress appropriately for the conditions. If she sees me even look at my shoes, she's waiting by the door! In the winter she watches us dress layer by layer wondering what the heck is taking us so long.

I do have to say, always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program and then, do what you love to do. Move the way your body loves to move! It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do it for a time period of 20 minutes to 1 hour, at least 3x per week: One-half hour 6 days per week is ideal. You can bike, skate, Rollerblade, swim, use an exercise tape, a hula-hoop, dance, skateboard, hike or jump rope. Try something new and have fun with it!